Biomass plants – towards sustainable electricity production

It is no secret that biomass is one of the largest and constantly growing energy sources. Biomass energy is increasingly being used in the developed world to avoid carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels, to encourage the use of local resources, and to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. AXIS Tech offers a wide range of biomass-fired equipment and boilers, thanks to which various industries can efficiently and reliably produce heat and electricity.

Adapting biomass-burning devices to sustainable electricity production is currently a particularly topical issue. PhD Aleksas Jazdauskas, Director of the Technical Department of AXIS Tech, shares his experience assessing the increase in electricity production from renewable biomass: “During the combustion process, an oxidation reaction takes place, resulting in high-temperature combustion products, reaching 900 – 1000 oC. With such a high combustion temperature, using it only to heat water is inefficient. Therefore, it is always better to produce steam that can produce electricity and use the remaining heat to water heating.”

Since biomass is a renewable energy source, it does not generate additional CO2. In addition, biofuels enable the use of local resources, and thus independence from gas or other fossil fuels, which is particularly important in the face of the current unstable political situation, when energy resources have become an element of manipulation of states.

When assessing the installed capacity of a cogeneration plant, it is necessary to estimate the demand for thermal energy for heating the city and for heating water: “The investment is most economical when the devices can operate all year round. In the case of a medium-sized city with 50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants, the temporary demand for heat in the summer ranges from 10 to 20 MW. Therefore, the most effective investment is the construction of a 20-25 MW biomass energy boiler. An installation of such capacity will produce about 5-6 MW of electricity in winter, and in summer, it will satisfy the city’s demand for hot water by producing about 1-2 MW of electricity,” said PhD A. Jazdauskas.

The basic parameters of the biomass-fired CHP boiler and steam turbine should be selected as high as possible. PhD A. Jazdauskas advises that when estimating the investment, it is most economical to choose a pressure of 40 – 60 bar and a temperature of 400 – 490 oC. The coefficient of electricity and the entire steam boiler energy produced by devices with such parameters is > 0.25. The construction period for similar installations is on average 18 to 24 months.

AXIS Tech has many years of experience in designing devices for burning various types of biomass. The company’s team of engineers is able to calculate, design and provide all necessary technical support for CHP plants of various sizes. In addition, AXIS Tech devices can be easily adapted to the customer’s needs, taking into account the specificity of the projects being prepared.

The company is the general contractor of the following CHP plants located in the Baltic States: CHP Alytaus Šilumos Tinklai with a capacity of 5.4 MWe, CHP Šiaulių Energija with a capacity of 10.6 MWe, CHP Utilitas in Tallinn with a capacity of 21.4 MWe, CHP Danpower in Kaunas with a capacity of 5 MWe.

Currently, the company participates in several projects on the Polish market, supplying the main biomass equipment (biomass storage system, fuel handling system, boiler, furnace, ash removal, heat recovery systems…) and partial participation in start-up works:

• EC Megatem Lublin with a capacity of 12 MWe. The general contractor Energoserwis.
• MPEC Łomża CHP with a capacity of 3.2 MWe. The general contractor Energika.
• PEC Ciechanów with a capacity of 1.2 MWe. The general contractor Energika.

AXIS Tech is one of the leading producers of biomass energy equipment in the Baltic States, offering clean and sustainable energy solutions for cities and enterprises. For over 25 years, the company has provided equipment for companies from the power and heating industries that need advanced solutions to reduce emissions in Europe and beyond.

Currently, AXIS Tech has started cooperation with Energy ON, which is the main and authorized provider of AXIS Tech maintenance services, operating according to the “one stop shop” principle. Energy ON also offers solutions to increase the efficiency of boiler houses, prepares boiler houses for switching from SM2 fuel to SM3 fuel which is more humid, generates more ash and contains more elements, offers preventive monitoring of boiler house systems, provides comprehensive technological service for boiler houses, which is not limited to for repair work, but it can also be performed in the post-warranty period.